Chapter 108
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
Chapter 108
It was the moment Anastasia, following her instincts, rolled her body frantically across the ground.
"Cough!"
A man in black clothing leaped down and immediately struck Victor to the ground.
Anastasia's legs gave out beneath her, and she couldn't even think of standing. The man in black who had subdued Victor spoke to her.
"You have excellent reflexes. Though I was planning to save you anyway."
A dagger was already gripped in Victor's hand, which the man had seized.
Where exactly had that dagger been aimed?
A chill ran down Anastasia's spine.
Even if she hadn't held him in particularly high regard as a person, she had always trusted him as a colleague.
That's why she hadn't doubted for a moment when Namia Loapi had said she was "requesting the blood of an Imperial Servant."
"Quite clever, in your own way."
Crown Prince Kiaros's leisurely voice came from behind.
"You were cautious enough to send someone else. You were worried there might be witnesses in the building, weren't you?"
Crown Prince Kiaros slowly set down Namia Loapi, whom he had been holding in his arms. Namia Loapi stood beside Crown Prince Kiaros, swaying slightly.
Namia Loapi's expression was equally shocked.
* * *
I stared down at Victor in bewilderment.
Everything was far too obvious. Even the fact that he had tried to kill Anastasia at the end.
We had literally caught him red-handed.
Crown Prince Kiaros clicked his tongue as if exasperated.
"The Finance Minister will beat his head against the ground when he finds out."
A faint contempt colored his voice.
"The heir of House of Marquis Awin—what could possibly be lacking in him?"
That was my question too.
'Why Victor, of all people?'
Didn't the Gaejo Faction manipulate those whose hearts harbored some deficiency? Surely it would be difficult to recruit those who possessed everything?
In fact, Victor wasn't even mentioned in the original story. When war broke out, House of Marquis Awin didn't gain any particular advantage.
That was when it happened.
"...It's because of you."
Victor glared at me, standing behind Crown Prince Kiaros, his words grinding out like gravel.
"Namia Loapi. It's all because of you."
Me?
"I...I had already left the Gaejo Faction."
His eyes gleamed with madness.
"Only after I reached a point where I couldn't report to the Imperial Palace did they allow me to leave. So I went to that distant foreign land for years and came back."
I realized something and my mouth fell open.
So that long-term overseas assignment...
In truth, Victor was the heir of House of Marquis Awin, and he could have easily refused to go. And if he'd wanted to, he could have returned early.
'In reality, there wasn't even important enough work in our department to warrant a long-term assignment.'
At that time, I simply thought the Scroll Management Department was doing something pointless again, as it always had.
But then... there was the Gaejo Faction behind it. I could finally understand why he said he was leaving the Gaejo Faction.
'Because he just became the adopted son of Marquis Awin!'
Victor possessed excellent abilities, but his family background was rather lacking. That must have been what he considered his weakness.
After realizing he possessed an exceptional talent for winning people's hearts, it would have weighed on him even more.
With his natural charisma, he could have climbed much higher.
'That's why he said he was leaving. That's why he didn't appear in the original story!'
Then, why did he rejoin the Gaejo Faction now....
"Even when I was Student Council President, you never clung to me. You were clearly living a pathetic life, and I was your only salvation, yet you didn't."
Victor glared at me as he spoke.
"But now that you've become a Minister, you'd have even less reason to cling to me, wouldn't you?"
I stared down at him blankly. His logic was utterly absurd.
"So... you took the Gaejo Faction's hand again because of that?"
It was truly difficult to believe. I couldn't accept it in any way.
"So... you tried to drag me down at the Saint Kairo Banquet and kill and injure all those people?"
Then Victor shook his head and answered immediately.
"I never intended to kill you. If the explosion happened, I was going to save you first—I was always right beside you."
At that time, Victor had indeed been with me in the VIP Seating Area.
I blinked, utterly dumbfounded.
If that accident had occurred, I would have resigned not just as Minister but from public service entirely. Of my own volition, before any disciplinary action.
No, I would have become a complete wreck. People would have died and been injured because of me. Even if I lived, it wouldn't have been living—I might have even taken my own life from the guilt.
Victor must have known that better than anyone. But that made it even more horrifying.
"You were trying to push me deeper into the mire, and then become that magnificent savior once again?"
I asked, trembling.
"Because I wouldn't cling to you at this level, you wanted to create an even greater gap between us?"
The fact that he would harm people for such a reason made my skin crawl. I never dreamed Victor was capable of such cruelty.
Even if he was a bad man to me, I had always thought him fundamentally kind.
"He even smokes."
Crown Prince Kiaros, noticing my shock, spoke sarcastically from beside me. His tone carried something like a reproach.
"The Minister of Scrolls must not know many things about him, hmm? He even threatened Kibon like some common street thug...."
I had no idea Victor was a smoker. I had never even imagined him threatening someone with that kind face.
Anastasia murmured quietly.
"My, my goodness. Did Kibon really tell the Crown Prince all of that? It does seem to make him look rather small."
At Anastasia's words, I shook my head and defended Kibon.
"No, he doesn't look small at all. He didn't even tell me directly. I actually think it's admirable that Kibon kept this fact hidden from me until the end."
At my exchange with Anastasia, Crown Prince Kiaros wore a very embarrassed expression and cleared his throat.
Then it happened.
"Why wasn't I desperate enough, Namia Loapi?"
Victor glared at me and asked. His expression was twisted with resentment.
"If I had confessed, you would have accepted me, but your feelings were only at that level, weren't they?"
Whether it was desperation or the realization that this might be the last time he'd see me, his voice grew urgent.
"Why, exactly? For me to be someone worth clinging to, did you really have to become Crown Prince Kiaros?"
"What are you saying? That's... that's absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not it."
At those words, Crown Prince Kiaros beside me flinched. Victor paid him no mind, his eyes gleaming as he shouted.
"Then what is it? Do you actually like Kibon? Why on earth would you?"
At the same moment, Crown Prince Kiaros staggered backward. That was when it happened.
"Y-you don't know that and you're asking?"
Anastasia, who had somehow gotten to her feet with Raven's support, interjected.
"Y-yes, I get it now! I, I was pretending not to know earlier..."
Since it was a subject of interest, she apparently couldn't contain herself.
"K-Kibon at least doesn't hide his true self like you do!"
Anastasia burst out, breathing heavily.
"K-Kibon doesn't deceive people like that! That's the worst thing you can do!"
Suddenly, I noticed Crown Prince Kiaros's hand trembling beside me.
"K-Kibon is honest and sincere! When I asked directly, 'Do you have someone you like?' he couldn't even lie in front of everyone!"
Anastasia was now gripping Raven's hand tightly as she spoke with dramatic intensity.
"H-he was even a smoker? He said every day that he didn't understand smokers! B-none of the department members knew that, yet he deceived so many people without hesitation—it's absolutely chilling!"
Raven, whose hand was caught by Anastasia, shook his head vigorously in agreement.
"Indeed. It's truly chilling."
"K-Kibon showed us all his true self! Remember? That arrogant tone and those eyes with no intention of looking good..."
"Oh, truly a young man whose exterior and interior were identical."
"K-Kibon never put on any pretense in front of the Minister, completely different in quality from you..."
It was unexpectedly Crown Prince Kiaros who stopped Anastasia, who had been speaking forcefully back and forth with Raven.
"Stop..."
Crown Prince Kiaros spoke quietly, breathing heavily.
"Please stop."
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------